This invention relates to an improvement in a catamaran boat comprised of a mast and twin hulls, and is more particularly concerned with an improved system for removing water from the interiors of said mast and hulls.
Lightweight catamaran boats comprised of twin hulls with a deck structure therebetween, a mast and sailcloth associated therewith, enjoy widespread popularity for leisurely sailing and racing. Said hulls and mast are generally fabricated from thin, rigid structural materials as hollow structures which minimize the weight and improve the buoyancy of the boat. When newly manufactured, the hulls and mast are impervious to water. However, prolonged use, ageing, and exposure to weathering factors of sunlight, heat and moisture may cause the development of fissures in the structural material which permit entrance of water. Cognizant of such eventual leakage, most hulls of catamarans are provided with a drainage port located adjacent their lower extremities.
In the course of racing a catamaran boat, even small amounts of water entrapped within the hulls will have a significant adverse affect on the speed atainable by the boat. Unequal amounts of water within the two hulls may also exert a destabilizing effect on the boat. Although it is desirable to remove said entrapped water, the use of a conventional water pump is not feasible because the pump must draw from a substantially sealed structure, and the vacuum thereby generated will not only impair pumping efficiency but may also induce rapid entrance of water into the hull through said fissures. Furthermore, the use of an electrically powered pump would add considerable weight to the boat in view of the weight of the pump and its power source. If some manner of hand-operated device for removing water were to be separately associated with each hull, movement of a crewman to said separate hulls would be required, thereby causing an undesirable shifting of weight in the boat.
Small catamarans, having hull lengths of about 14 to 16 feet, capsize frequently, especially when driven to the brink of their performance characteristics during a race. If the hollow mast is filled with air, its buoyant effect will cause the catamaran to assume a sideways position with one hull above water. From this position, it is reasonably easy for the crewman to return the boat to its upright position. However, if the mast rapidly fills with water and thereby provides no buoyancy, the mast will assume a downwardly pointed orientation, causing the two hulls to float at equal levels relative to the surface of the body of water. From said latter position, generally referred to as the "turtle" position, it is substantially impossible for the crewman to turn the boat back to its normally erect position.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for removing water from the hollow interiors of the mast and twin hulls of a catamaran boat.
It is another object to provide a system of the aforesaid nature capable of manual operation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a system of the aforesaid nature which does not require that a crewman shift his position within said boat to remove water from either hull.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system of the aforesaid nature which will enable a crewman to right a capsized catamaran from a turtle position.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.